Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant has begun releasing a second batch of treated radioactive wastewater into the sea. Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, the plant operator, stated that workers have activated pumps to dilute the treated water with seawater before slowly releasing it into the ocean through an undersea tunnel. However, these wastewater discharges have faced strong opposition from fishing groups and neighboring countries, including South Korea, which saw hundreds of people staging protest rallies. China has even banned all imports of Japanese seafood, negatively impacting Japanese seafood producers and exporters.
The first wastewater release from the plant occurred from August 24 to September 11. TEPCO discharged 7,800 tons of treated water from 10 tanks during this period. In the current second discharge, TEPCO plans to release another 7,800 tons of treated water into the Pacific Ocean over 17 days. Keisuke Matsuo, a spokesperson for TEPCO, stated that the procedures are being strictly followed, and everything is going according to plan. TEPCO has also pledged to ensure the safe execution of the second round of releases while closely monitoring seawater samples taken from multiple locations around the plant.
Approximately 1.34 million tons of radioactive wastewater are stored in around 1,000 tanks at the Fukushima plant. TEPCO and the government assert that discharging the water into the sea is necessary as the tanks will reach full capacity early next year, and space will be required for the plant’s decommissioning, estimated to take decades. They emphasize that the water is treated to reduce radioactive materials to safe levels and is then diluted with seawater by hundreds of times, making it much safer than international standards.
However, some scientists argue that the continuous release of low-level radioactive materials is unprecedented and requires close monitoring. In response to China’s seafood ban, Japan’s government has established a relief fund to support the search for new markets and mitigate the impact. Measures include the temporary purchase, freezing, and storage of seafood, as well as the promotion of seafood sales domestically. Cabinet ministers have also visited Fukushima to sample local seafood and promote its safety.
TEPCO has the responsibility of compensating for the reputational damage caused by the wastewater release to the region’s seafood industry. It has started accepting applications for compensation and has already received hundreds of inquiries. Most of the damage claims are related to China’s seafood ban and the excess supply domestically, leading to price declines. Agriculture Minister Ichiro Miyashita has even promoted Japanese scallops at a food fair in Malaysia to emphasize their safety.
The International Atomic Energy Agency conducted a safety review of the wastewater release and determined that if carried out as planned, it would have a negligible impact on the environment, marine life, and human health.